I'm not what you'd call a sun worshiper, so I'm not usually out in the sun.
So I tend to use SPF 0 a lot unless I am going somewhere where there is absolutely no relief from the sun. My exposure hours are usually early morning or late afternoon.
I do wear a golf hat.
There is a mix of opinions about the sun. Some people would have you believe that your going to die if the sun touches you and you should immediately seek the shelter of an underground cave.

There is another side which says you DO need a certain amount of sun to get vitamin D into your system. I tend to adhere to this group but you won't find me roasting on a beach either.
Feel free to attend my funeral which should be any day if the first group is right.

 

I don't know anyone who has tanned or burned through a t-shirt. I've spent weeks in the Bahamas and snorkeled with a white t-shirt on to prevent sunburn, and wore a t-shirt the rest of the time. No problems at all, and I was still pasty white beneath it. If any significant amount of UV light gets through, you would eventually tan or burn, but that just doesn't happen. So "SPF-5" seems like a load of crap.

I've also read more recent articles about changing the term "SPF" to mean "SunBURN Protection Factor" rather than Sun Protection Factor, because there's still not a lot of proof that it will sufficiently prevent skin cancer.

Lotion also has it's own drawbacks, including the fact that a lot of those chemicals soak right into your skin. If the goal is to prevent cancer, are you sure you're not just trading one thing for another?

That said, I usually don't use sunblock. The daily face moisturizer I use has SPF-4, so it helps somewhat. If I'm going to be out long enough that I might burn, I wear clothes instead of lotion, though I will occasionally go for some on the neck or ears.

The only thing I protect is my lips. I use Chapstick or Blistex with SPF 30+. Lips are really vulnerable to sun and not uncommon for cancer, and there's no easy way to keep 'em safe besides that!

 

The experts say yes. The sun's rays are still on your body. A tan may "look" healthy but your skin has still been damaged.

Rick's had a few areas of skin cancer treated. One surgery near his eye required skin grafting. That was gross, he looked like he had been in a fight.

That surgery freaked us both out pretty good. He's now a frequent flier at the dermatologist's office. Since then, we rarely step outside without sun screen, and use at least a 30 SPF, and re-apply after being out for a while. We don't put sunscreen on under our clothing. We have not been to the beach, except for a walk, in about three years, and unless we are hiding under an umbrella we likely won't be spending much time at a beach any time soon.

I'm sure we get more sun than we should riding around top down in the S, but we lather up before we go and both wear baseball caps.

Sun damage only shows up when you are older, and I see some of it on my skin now.

Someday I predict many lawsuits against people who own tanning salons. The cases of melanoma keep rising, and many young girls have spent a lot of time at tanning salons, I see a connection.

 

When we all drove down to the Dragon I wore a hooded sweatshirt for sun protection. Everyone else opted for the no hat and t-shirt approach and got roasted. Muhaha

 

Those people tanning think since its not sun they are safe ,,,,,, biggest mis-perception in america!

 

The problem is that most of the people under 30, like myself, were raised knowing full well that it's not a good idea to lie out in the sun, let al one go to a tanning salon.

The other factor in skin cancers is that people often assume it's only because of sun, when it could be due to tons of other things. That, and people are living longer than ever. Fact is, if you live long enough, you'll get cancer of something. It's just a matter of odds.

But with skin cancer specifically, I have to wonder what everything else is playing a part. You've got all kinds of chemicals and lotions, that people apply daily. I'd imagine that must add to something.

And doctors have recently proven that certain strains of HPV cause cervical cancer in women... but there are dozens of strains of HPV that cause other skin conditions. Since almost everyone has at least a few varieties of HPV and other skin-affecting viruses, how do you know that skin cancer isn't caused by these instead of sun?

Basically, I just go about my business. I don't lie out in the sun. I keep hoizontal skin covered. And if I have somethin funny looking, I get it checked.

 

the biggest danger is getting sunburnt, so do anything and everything to prevent that.

 

Step 1. Stay in the shade.

 

Hardtop FTW!!! - I'm getting used to leaving it on. Its nice in the AC.

 

You beat me to it!


I have portuguese skin that doesn't burn easily at all so I combine that with trying to stay out of the sun when possible and never have any problems.

It has the side benefit of less sweating too, which I like.